Dan L  over at Knicks FanBlog offers today’s must read article, which we excerpt below:

“In 2008 when Donnie Walsh took over the Knicks his plan was transparent: Do what he could to clear cap space to make a run at the free agent class of 2010 which included LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade. As Walsh jettisoned one bad contract after another and even parted with some young assets and a draft pick to put his plan in motion, there was ample opportunity to second guess the grizzled executive…

Read the whole article here

Madison Square Garden was electric for one half of basketball tonight.  After that, the Heat looked like everything that one would expect from a team with Lebron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade, as Lebron posted a triple-double and the Heat bested the Knicks 113-91.

The Knicks, on the other hand, fell apart in the second half.  Even Danillo Gallinari, who was on fire in the first half, went cold in the second.  The Knicks stopped hitting their outside shots, and couldn’t finish when they took the ball to the basket.  They missed free throws, and played lackluster defense.  Knicks fans are obviously disappointed.  Perhaps more than they were after Wednesday’s last second loss to the Celtics.  Only time will tell whether this was just an off game for a very good team, or whether this was a true powerhouse bringing a mediocre team back to earth.

Via The Associated Press:

Dwyane Wade says he felt unwanted by the Knicks and thought that LeBron James could have ended up in New York.

The Miami Heat guard said New York is a big stage and could make a player a worldwide star, so he saw it as a possibility for James.

But Wade says he didn’t “think they really wanted me here anyway.”

Lebron Wasn’t Intereted in Saving a Franchise…

Via NY Post:

And the Knicks Brass?  They knew LeBron was a longshot…

Via NY Post:

“We thought it was a longshot,” (Donnie) Walsh told The Post yesterday from his Manhattan home. “I thought he may stay in Cleveland. I didn’t know where he’d wind up, but I didn’t feel we had a good chance.”

“We tried to get LeBron, we wanted him, we made the attempt, we didn’t get him,” Walsh said. “We got Stoudemire and we’re supremely happy with it.”

Via Peter Vescey’s Hoop Du Jour on NY Post.com:

Via The Associated Press:

LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul are among the players that have attended a negotiating session between the NBA and the union.

Players’ association executive director Billy Hunter says 14 players participated in Thursday’s meeting in Manhattan. The sides agreed to hold another session before training camp so players can take part again.

Anthony says it’s important for players to be involved because “our future is in jeopardy if we can’t come into a mutual agreement.” The Denver Nuggets star adds the “communication was great” at Thursday’s meeting.

The current deal expires June 30, 2011.

The outcome of these negotiations could have a major impact for Melo…

Via Sports Grid:

(Ric) Bucher’s “behind-the-scenes story of the Miami Heat’s hijacking of the NBA” was snagged by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt yesterday, according to Publisher’s Marketplace. No word yet on when the book will be published, or how much Bucher’s deal is worth.

The book will deal with the LeBron’s signing with Miami and the “resulting upheaval across the entire league, from Nike headquarters to the Knicks’ war room, from South Beach to Cleveland, LA to the Boston parquet — in short, the struggle for the future of professional basketball.” Spicy.

The book’s tentative title is “Overheated.” No word yet on if I will send Houghton’s publicist, Lori Glazer, flowers.

Via USA Today:

Via The Miami Herald:

The Celtics are also among a number of teams that publicly acknowledged the Heat’s collection of star power, but stopped well short of conceding a division, conference or NBA title.

“They should be good, but they ain’t done nothing yet,” Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo told Yahoo! Sports last month. “Miami looks really good on paper, and I’m sure they’re going to be really good. But they still have to come together as a team. I’m not saying they won’t, but who knows if those guys can jell.”

Wade, James and Bosh have kept track of everything that has been said or insinuated in recent weeks. They plan to use the talk as motivation. (more…)